The lamb of God

By: Kari Vo
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February 27, 2025

"The next day [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ... I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. ... And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.'" (John 1:29, 32b, 34 ESV)

I wonder if Jesus shivered, hearing John call out, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" After all, everyone knew what happened to lambs of God. They were sacrificed—turned into burnt offerings at the temple; offered and then roasted for dinner during Passover. Lambs had died to save the lives of Israel's children on the night God rescued them from slavery (see Exodus 12). To be a lamb of God was to be special, dedicated, holy—and doomed to die.

Certainly Jesus would have known this from childhood. His parents were devout, and they took Jesus with them to the temple at Passover time (see Luke 2:41-43). He would have seen with His own eyes what happened to lambs. And yet, both as Son of God and Son of Man, He went forward with His mission. He never turned back.

And that is our salvation—that Jesus loved us so much He came into this world, God becoming Man, to become our sacrifice. He willingly chose to lay down that life, the life of the innocent Lamb of God, on the cross—setting us free from death and evil. And now, because He has risen from the dead, we who trust in Him will rise also—never to die again.

We Pray: Dear Lord, thank You for giving Yourself for me. Amen.

Reflection Questions:
* What ideas do you think of, when you think of lambs?
* How early would you guess Jesus understood His mission on earth?
* What kept Jesus from turning back at any point on the long journey to the cross?

Lenten Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Originally published in The Lutheran Hour on February 16, 2024
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights

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